October – True Autumn

A few of my True Autumn drapes

Overview

True Autumn, more than any other season, is perfectly captured by the time of year after which it is named. Picture leaves rich with flaming color, warm apple cider, and pumpkin spice everything, and you’ve landed on exactly what makes True Autumn so gorgeously unique. These colors are earthy and natural, yet surprisingly vibrant. There’s an almost metallic quality to the palette, similar to the way the trees seem to shimmer with changing color at this time of year. For those who wear this season well, True Autumn’s golden warmth is positively mesmerizing.

Give me a book, a fireplace, and some tea!

Things that are easy

Outerwear

Crisp autumn air makes everyone want to wrap themselves in the warmest things (and colors) possible. True Autumn jackets, hats, boots, and scarves are as classically “fall” as the PSL. People who wear TA best have no problem finding lovely outerwear that falls within their season. Warm brown is almost always an option for these sorts of items, followed closely by olive green, which will almost always swatch as some sort of Autumn season if not squarely TA. Even non-neutral colors like orange and golden yellow are very popular for these sorts of items, and are easily worked into the TA wardrobe.

Jewelry

Golden, bronze, and warm-toned jewelry is quite easy to find and really lovely on a True Autumn. Earthy, rough-hewn, and sort of “tarnished” finishes carry the palette well, as do raw or natural stones like turquoise and tiger’s eye. I’m really excited to see that couples are looking beyond diamonds for wedding jewelry (they’re lovely, but come on, let’s get some color in there!) I’ve seen some stunning brushed gold and even woodgrain rings that would be jaw-dropping for a TA!

Non-clothing items

Warm colors are comforting and easy on the eye. They remind us of cozy, happy moments and are therefore everywhere. From home decor to office supplies, and even to the cars we drive, True Autumn is a fantastic season to extend beyond things worn on the body. Copper, in particular, is really having a moment in the world of home decor, and is a beautifully harmonious metal for TA. My partner is a TA, and I was easily able to find him a beautiful cognac leather messenger bag for his laptop and work items. It’s certainly not necessary to incorporate your season into the rest of your life, but even utilitarian items like your work bag can really elevate your look when they’re harmonious with the rest of you.

This spicy cayenne red 😍

Things that are hard

Suits

True Autumn suits are somewhat of a challenge. The colors we typically gravitate toward for suits don’t work well with the palette, either by being too cool (black, most grays and blues) or too light and clear (many khakis and beiges). A TA suit needs to be darker, warmer, and more muted than all that, which brings about its own unique set of preconceived notions about what a suit should look like. Warm grays are hard to find, brown can look a bit dated to some, and colored suits like olive or maroon can be intimidating if you’re not used to wearing one. To all of that I say: wear what you love and makes you feel good. You came for a color analysis to find what works for you and makes your natural coloring shine, so go for it! Personally, I’m very ready for the standard black and blue suits to step back and let other colors have a moment.

Gray

Gray is a rather “fudgeable” color for most people, or rather, many seasons can cheat with gray while they’re building up a seasonally cohesive wardrobe after their draping. The biggest exception here is True Autumn. Every season has a gray, but cooler-toned grays are much easier to find than warmer ones. Warm grays have sort of a greenish or brown undertone rather than one that is bluish or black. These warm grays aren’t as common in the fashion world as their cooler counterparts, which can make finding them somewhat difficult. The good news for TA is that brown is a very common and popular neutral, so gray shouldn’t leave too big of a hole in the closet.

Statement lipstick

True Autumn, by virtue of the fact that it’s a warm season, has a fairly easy time finding lots of makeup, but a bold lipstick is sometimes an exception. The colors that work best for this person tend to have an orange or brown undertone, which aren’t generally as common as the “classic” Hollywood siren red. It’s important in these cases to remember that a rich orange or browned red will give the same impression on a True Autumn as a fire engine red would on a Bright Winter. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to makeup or fashion!

Greenish, mottled gray – great for True Autumn!

Biggest Misconception

Red hair

It’s generally assumed that those with red hair belong to warm seasons. While this is sometimes true, it’s very important to be careful of “self-diagnosis” when it comes to determining your season (I wrote a whole post about it here). Red hair, just like every other color of hair, can be warm, cool, or neutral, and isn’t automatically indicative of any one season. As a color analyst, I myself have to be careful not to assume someone’s season at first glance, though I can usually tell what season someone *isn’t* just by looking at them. That said, red or reddish-toned hair is possible in any of the 12 seasons, not just True Autumn!

My favorite shade

Burnt Orange

It’s my favorite shade of autumn leaves, and it’s so ubiquitously True Autumn. There’s just something so reminiscent of crisp October air in this one color. Or maybe it’s just my obsession with the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

LOOK AT THAT (courtesy Joel Mertes)

Next month:

Dark Autumn

Previous posts:

All photos credited to Colorgeek Studio, LLC unless otherwise noted. Photos are meant to evoke the feelings associated with each season, and are not guaranteed for seasonal accuracy due to variations in lighting and screen resolution.

About Alane

Alane was trained in the Sci/ART system of Personal Color Analysis in August of 2015 by Terry Wildfong of Your Natural Design. Since then, she has seen countless faces, discovered the beauty of every season, and spent way more time at Sephora than she ever thought she would.